douglas billings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. DOUGLAS BILLINGS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,924, dated December 20, 1887.

Application tiled September 21, 1886. Serial No. 214,183. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. DOUGLAS BrLLINGs, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 1t appertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore in the so-called calked77 horseshoes the calks have generally been put on at the extreme ends of the heels and on and across the extreme end of the toe, and when this style has been varied it has been by placing calks intermediate between the said toe and heel calks, or by a continuous calk or a serrated one, or calks at the heels and none at the toe; or a calk at the toe and the ends of the shoe at the heels thickened or swaged up. These descriptions of horseshoes, with the various positions of their calks, have been found objectionable in use, especially for the front feet, and for these reasons: iirst, there is too much strain upon the extreme points of the toe and eXtreme ends of the heels; second, the natural movement of the front feet when touching and leaving the ground is a rocking motion, hence when the calks are put on at the extreme ends of the toe and heels the natural rocking movement of the foot is hindered or restrained and an undue strain is brought on the joint of the foot; third, the calk at the toe receives nearly twice the friction or Wear that is received upon the calks at the heels, hence the animal must iirst wear down these unnatural projections into a particular shape or contour before he is able to make a natural step or obtain a natural foothold, and in accomplishing this desired result the normal easy movement of the foot is changed into an artilicial and impeding movement; fourth, the calks at the extreme outside end of the heels or heel-bars of the foot, when worn upon stone pavements and hard road-beds, are generally the sole cause of sore and bruised heels and on account of the concussion caused by those calks coming down with great force upon the stones with nothing to relieve the blow or the full force of the concussion upon the extreme ends of the hoofheels; and fifth, shoes with continuous calks or plain or serrated do not change the principle, and are therefore objectionable for the same reasons.

The object of my invention is to provide a horseshoe with calks shaped and placed on the shoe at such points of the wearingsurface of the same as will assist nature and not block, impede, and hinder the natural movement of the animals feet, which will relieve strain on the joint and prevent soreness, slipping, and other damaging results to the foot of the animal, and thus allow him to travel with more speed and comfort overstone pavements and hard, rough, and icy streets. These shoes are to be used more particularly upon the front feet.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a plan View of a calked horseshoe. Fig. 2 is a. side view of .the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal sec tional view. Fig. 4 is a side view of the horses foot, shown in position during the step while its toe is engaged and provided with my improved shoe. Fig. 5 is a similar View of the same, but showing the position of the foot during the step while the heel is engaged.

In the drawings, A indicates the top surface of the body of the shoe. The bar of which the shoe is made is of any desired length or weight and from one-half inch to one and one-quarter inch square. The surface A is formed with a fiat outside bearing portion, B, and an inner sloping portion, F, as shown, the latter terminating short of the heel, leaving the heel-bear ing portions II perfectly level.

All around the outer side of the shoe under the foot-rest is formed a grooved nail-rim, I, in which nail-holes are provided to secure the shoe to the horses foot, and it is made of sufficient width, depth, and thickness to properly sustain the nails and to protect'the head of the nails from coming in contact with the pavement, whereby the shoe is prevented from loosening and dropping from the feet.

C is the under side of the shoe,upon which the calks are set. Its sides from the toe to the heel-calks slope toward the rim, and the inner walls of the rim slope slightly in the opposite direction, to afford sufficient space to permit the nails to be driven without the use of a punch.

D D are toe-calks, and E E are heel-calkS, rolled, set, or welded on the portion C. The toe-calks D are arranged on either side and to theY rear of the exact center of the toe, with a portion, d, between them of from onehalf inch to two inches. This open portion is made to allow the foot of the horse to rock or roll naturally, and thus to pass over the deadcenter of the toepoint. The heel-calks Eare placed at least from one-half inch to two inches forward from the extreme ends of the heelpoints, for the purpose herein described. As shown, the calks D join the surface C with a base equal to the width of that surface. They are tapered and terminate with a ilat bearing-surface, J.

The base of the heel-calks E have a width equal to the width of the supporting portion C and taper and terminate with a sharp longitudinal edge, K, so that the groundsurface of the toe-calks shall be at least twice the thickness of the ground-surface of the heel-calks, to meet the double friction and wear on the toe, as above set forth. Vhile preserving this relative thickness, the calks may be sharper or Vmore blunt, as may be required on smooth or icy roadways. The four toe and heel calks must be made to occupy the same relative p0- sitions to the toe and heel as shown in the drawings, in order to obtain the advantages of my invention as above set forth. The calks E being arranged, as thus described, forward of the heels, the foot is permitted to yield in that direction with a rolling natural motion, thereby avoiding great strain on the anklejoint and inflammation and soreness of the heel and joint. The portion d between the toecalksis made deeper than the portions between the toe-calli and the extreme ends of the heels of the shoe, so that when the toe rolls over the calk and when the calks wear away the said projecting surface will still afford and maintain a rocking bearing for the toe. l

My invention involves a radical departure in the construction of the calked horseshoe and principles of operation of the shoe when worn on the foot of the horse, and especially upon the front feet, the invention consisting, broadly, in a horseshoe with calks which are arranged to receive the full weight and allow a proper and natural bearing and give a firm foothold and grip without blocking, hindering, impeding, or in any way disturbing the natural movement of the horses feet, and preventing straining and contracting of the muscles of the heels.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. As a new article of manufacture, a rolled horseshoe consisting of an upper foot-bearing surface having a flat and level outer portion and a sloping inner portion, both portions terminating in a levelsurface at the heels, a raised under portion, C, the toe-calks D, arranged on either side of the center of the toe and at an equal distance therefrom, the projecting portion d between said toe-calks, the heelcalks E, arranged on either side of the heelpoints and at an equal distance therefrom, the ground-surface of the toe-calks being at least twice as thick as the ground-surface of the heel-calks, and the grooved nail-rim, with the inner walls of the rim and the calli-bearing portion C beveled toward thesaid groove, substantially as described.

2. In a rolled horseshoe, the upper footbearing surface having a flat and level outer portion and a sloping inner port-ion, both terminating in a level surface at the heels, the grooved nail-rim, the under calli-supporting portion with its sides between the toe-calks, and the heels made sloping toward said rim, and the four toe and heel calks occupying the same relative positions and distances from the toe and heel points, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J'. DOUGLAS BILLINGS.

XVitnesses:

H. E. IDI-10K, J os. H. BLAcKwooD. 

